The city of Dallas and the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area are home to teams in six major sports: the Dallas Cowboys (National Football League), Dallas Mavericks (National Basketball Association), Texas Rangers (Major League Baseball), Dallas Stars (National Hockey League), FC Dallas (Major League Soccer), and Dallas Wings (Women's National Basketball Association).
Dallas-Fort Worth area major college sports programs include Patriots baseball of Dallas Baptist University located in southwest Dallas, and the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University, located in the enclave of University Park. Neighboring cities Fort Worth, Arlington, and Denton are home to the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs, University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks, and University of North Texas Mean Green, respectively.
Nearby Arlington, Texas is home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). Since joining the league as an expansion team in 1960, the Cowboys have enjoyed substantial success, advancing to eight Super Bowls and winning five.[1] Known widely as "America's Team", the Dallas Cowboys are financially the most valuable sports franchise in the United States, worth approximately 2.3 billion dollars.[2] They are also the most valuable sports organization in the world.[3] From 1960-71, the Cowboys played home games at the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas's Fair Park. From 1971-2008, the team played at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas. In 2009, the Cowboys relocated to their new 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, which was the site of Super Bowl XLV.[4] The college Cotton Bowl Classic football game was played at the Cotton Bowl through its 2009 game, but has moved to AT&T Stadium.[5]
Indoor football
Nearby Frisco, Texas is home to the Frisco Fighters of the Indoor Football League. The team was founded in 2021, and plays its home games at the Comerica Center in Frisco. The season is played from May to August. The league was formed in 2008 with 19 teams competing currently they have 12 teams playing with 5 more teams joining in 2022.
Lower-level leagues
The Dallas Renegades were members of the XFL and played their home games at Globe Life Park in Arlington, now known as Choctaw Stadium.[6] until the XFL’s shutdown in the middle of the 2020 season. The XFL relaunched in 2023, with the Renegades returning to play in Choctaw Stadium under the new name of Arlington Renegades.[7]
Downtown Dallas is home to the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Their original arena was the now demolished Reunion Arena, but now they play at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks have won one championship, winning the 2011 NBA Finals, led by German-born superstar Dirk Nowitzki.[8] The Mavericks have one of the largest fanbases in the NBA, consistently ranking in the top 5 over the last few years in attendance. The Mavericks had a streak of 12 consecutive playoff appearances from 2001-2012 and 15 appearances in 16 years from 2001-2016, only missing the playoffs in 2013 when they finished with an even 41–41 record and out of the playoffs as the 10th seed.
NBA G League
The Mavericks' minor league affiliate, the Texas Legends, play in Frisco, Texas, and compete in the NBA G League. The franchise began as the Colorado 49ers in 2006, and moved to Frisco in 2009. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center in Frisco.
The Dallas Wings of the WNBA play home games at the College Park Center on the campus of University of Texas at Arlington. The franchise relocated to the North Texas market in 2015 from Tulsa, Oklahoma, where it was known as the Tulsa Shock.
The Wings will relocate to downtown Dallas at the Memorial Arena, part of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, in 2026.[9]
The Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB) also play home games in Arlington at the new Globe Life Field, and are the 2010, 2011 and 2023 American League Champions.[10] The franchise was established in 1961 as the Washington Senators, and moved to Arlington after the 1971 season, becoming the Rangers in 1972.[11] From 1972-1993, the team played home games at Arlington Stadium. From 1994-2019, the Rangers played home games at a stadium originally known as The Ballpark in Arlington; the stadium is currently known as Choctaw Stadium. Beginning in 2020, the team played its home games at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The Rangers most successful season was 2023 as they won their first World Series in franchise history.
Minor League Baseball
The Rangers' Minor League Baseball (AA-Affiliate) Frisco RoughRiders play in Frisco, Texas. The team was founded in 2003, and plays its home games at Riders Field (formerly known as Dr. Pepper Ballpark).
The Major League Soccer team FC Dallas, formerly the Dallas Burn, currently play at Toyota Stadium in Frisco. The team originally played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, spent one year playing at a high school stadium in Southlake, Texas (Dragon Stadium), and began playing in Frisco in 2005. FC Dallas also has an affiliate team in the developmental MLS Next Pro league, called North Texas SC. NTSC plays most home games at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington.
Indoor soccer
Dallas has been home to two different franchises known as the Dallas Sidekicks. From 1984-2004, the original Dallas Sidekicks played in the Major Indoor Soccer League, hosting home games at Reunion Arena. After the league fell apart, and after an eight year hiatus, in 2012 another version of the Dallas Sidekicks was formed. This current version of the Sidekicks plays in the Major Arena Soccer League, hosting home games at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas.
AT&T Stadium will host several matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) have played in Dallas since 1993. The franchise originated in 1967 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as the Minnesota North Stars, and moved to Dallas after the 1992-93 season. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center, after playing originally at Reunion Arena. The Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999, plus the Western Conference championship three times, two Presidents' Trophies as the top regular season team in the NHL, and eight division titles. [12] The team helped popularize hockey in the region, with Valley Ranch in Irving going from just one sheet of ice when the Stars arrived in 1993 to almost 30 in 2010.[13]
Lower levels of hockey
The Allen Americans, founded for the 2009–10 season, play in the Central Division of the ECHL. Their home arena is the Credit Union of Texas Event Center located in Allen, Texas, approximately 30 minutes northeast of Dallas. The junior hockey Lone Star Brahmas (formerly the five-time defending champions Texas Tornado) of the North American Hockey League play at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills.
Fort Worth, Texas is home to Panther City Lacrosse, a box lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League. The team began in the 2021-22 season, and plays its home games at Dickies Arena.
The Dallas Jackals of Major League Rugby are the first professional rugby team in DFW. The team was announced on June 5, 2020, and began play in February 2022. The team plays home games at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington.
Rugby union is a developing sport in Dallas as well as the whole of Texas.[14] The multiple clubs, ranging from men's and women's clubs to collegiate and high school, are part of the Texas Rugby Football Union.[15] Currently Dallas is one of only 16 cities in the United States included in the Rugby Super League[16] represented by Dallas Harlequins.[17]
Major league sports teams currently playing in the Dallas–Fort Worth area:
| Club | League | Sport | Venue | First season in DFW | Championships in DFW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Rangers | Baseball | Arlington Stadium 1972–1993 Globe Life Park 1994 – 2019 Globe Life Field 2020 – present | 1972 | 1 World Series Title - 2023 3 American League Titles – 2010, 2011, 2023 | ||
| Dallas Cowboys | Football | Cotton Bowl 1960–1970 Texas Stadium 1971–2008 AT&T Stadium 2009 – present | 1960 | 5 Super Bowls – 1971, 1977, 1992, 1993, 1995 8 NFC Titles – 1970, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1992, 1993, 1995 | ||
| Dallas Stars | Hockey | Reunion Arena 1993–2001 American Airlines Center 2002 – present | 1993 | 1 Stanley Cup – 1999 3 Western Conference Titles – 1999, 2000, 2020 | ||
| Dallas Mavericks | Basketball | Reunion Arena 1980–2001 American Airlines Center 2002 – present | 1980 | 1 NBA Title – 2011 3 Western Conference Titles – 2006, 2011, 2024 | ||
| FC Dallas | Soccer | Cotton Bowl 1996–2002, 2004 Dragon Stadium 2003 Toyota Stadium 2005 – present | 1995 | 0 MLS Cup Titles 2 U.S. Open Cup – 1997, 2016 | ||
| Panther City LC | NLL | Box Lacrosse | Dickies Arena 2020 – present | 2020 | N/A | |
| Dallas Jackals | MLR | Rugby | Choctaw Stadium 2022 – present | 2022 | N/A | |
| Dallas Legion | AUDL | Ultimate | Colleyville Middle School 2016 – present | 2016 | 1 AUDL Championship – 2016 2 South Division Championships – 2016, 2018 | |
| Texas Super Kings | MLC | Cricket | Grand Prairie Stadium 2023 – present | 2023 | N/A | |
| Dallas Wings | WNBA | Basketball | College Park Center 2016–2025 Dallas Memorial Arena (2026–future) | 2015 | 0 WNBA Titles 0 Western Conference Titles |
Minor league sports teams currently playing in the Dallas–Fort Worth area: